1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel method and apparatus for life support systems for supplying a pressurized diver's breathing gas for underwater divers and, more particularly, to a subassembly equipment package useable by dive shops, remote sites, diver boats, live aboards and the like for incorporation into the novel apparatus of the present invention whereby an advantageous life support system for supplying diver's breathing gas can be readily produced.
2. Description of Related Art
Techniques for producing a mixture of oxygen enriched air, known in the art as EAN.sub.x (enriched air nitrox), have been known for many years, as well as the advantages of using such enriched air as a diver's breathing gas. However, the life support systems for producing same have utilized the concept of enriching air by adding pure oxygen to it. Such a system is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,803 to Wells, which shows oxygen injected into a stream of ambient air in order to produce an oxygen enriched air mixture. The mixture is compressed and delivered to storage or scuba cylinders for use in diving or other applications. A source of oxygen appropriate for injection into the ambient air stream is needed in this known system and, consequently, not only is a great deal of caution required during generation of the oxygen enriched air mixture to avoid explosions and other problems typically associated with the use of oxygen, but, even more important, such systems require oxygen cleaning which is a drawback.